The present invention regards a fingerprint collection system comprising a camera lens, a sensor, a light source and a cylindrical structure, for directly collecting (imaging) fingerprints from surfaces, either naturally or with a reagent to fluoresce, and is suitable for use in military tactical and practical investigative environments. The present invention is intended to be used with a portable computer, having software capable of receiving, storing and processing images collected by the device of the present invention.
The first challenge to collecting latent fingerprints is the ability of identifying them on objects. Latent fingerprints are difficult to observe and collect, because typically only a tenth of a milligram of material is deposited on the surface. About 99% of a latent fingerprint is water, which soon evaporates to leave behind about a microgram of residue. About half of this residue is inorganic material, such as sodium chloride (ordinary salt), potassium chloride, calcium salts, etc. The other half is a complex mixture of organic compounds such as lipids, amino acids, vitamins, etc.
The fluorescence frequency of a fingerprint can be regarded as the “signature” of the organic compounds that constitute the fingerprint so that it can be used for its identification and separation from the background or surface fluorescence. To make the fingerprint fluoresce, one of these organic compounds must be stimulated to glow. In some cases the salts or inorganic compounds will fluoresce naturally (known as primary or auto fluorescence), which will allow an image of the fingerprint to be captured. Fingerprints can also be made to fluoresce when treated with chemicals capable of fluorescing (known as secondary fluorescence). Furthermore, because latent fingerprints consist of very little material, a luminescence strong enough to be visible to the naked eye requires a very intense illumination of the correct frequency.
Because additional equipment and training are required to dust latent prints with florescent powders and capture images of them using existing technologies, and then physically lift the print, applicant endeavored to develop an all-in-one device and method that could be used by individuals without specialized training. Furthermore, currently fingerprints that have been lifted from a surface have to be scanned into an electronic format, and ingested/enrolled into a database. The probability of recovering good fingerprint images is dependent on the environment (e.g., temperature, humidity, and exposure to sun light), how the object is handled, and the environmental conditions encountered following the recovery.
In addition to the traditional techniques, which can require specialized training and equipment, lasers and narrow frequency band lighting techniques have been used in the direct collection of fingerprints from objects. However, these techniques can require expensive digital cameras because of specialized Charged Coupled Devices (CCD), lenses, and optical filters that are sensitive to the frequency of light used to illuminate the fingerprint.
Presently alternative fingerprint collection techniques being researched such as micro-X-ray fluorescence (MXRF) and infrared spectra-microscopy (FTIR-SM). These techniques are more suited for laboratory collection than in military tactical or practical investigative environments.
Digital cameras designed for photography of fingerprints include the Fujifilm Finpix S3 PRO UVIR. However, this camera is very complicated to use, expensive and requires additional lighting sources. Other digital single lens reflex (SLR) cameras could be modified for purposes of fingerprint collection, but suffer many of the same constraints as the Fujifilm S3 PRO UVIR.
Based on the complicated nature of current fingerprint detection and collection technology, there is a need for an all-in-one camera that is relatively inexpensive, simple to use, durable, portable, operates on low-power, and that accurately collects (images) fingerprints and other forensic evidence directly from surfaces.
Thus the objects of the present invention are to provide a device to increase capacity to gather fingerprint evidence; to reduce the costs of gathering fingerprint evidence by providing a device that can be used by modestly trained individuals rather than forensic experts; to enable source identification for fingerprints in a relatively short period of time; to capture decaying evidence quickly; and to directly collect fingerprint evidence from porous or rough surface.